Arnold's Afraid To Leave His Stoop!
by alexham19
Summary: After terrible things leave Arnold a shell of who he used to be, will Helga be able to fix him, or is he now broken beyond repair? And will a love between the two after the unthinkable be too hard, or will they make it? (I'm sorry I'm really bad at summaries I will probably redo it later. Just read and review this please) ArnoldXHelga


**Hello to everyone! So this is the new story that I have been working on for weeks now, so I'm already pretty far along. The name may change at some point, but for now this is what it is. I really hope that you guys like it, so here's chapter one! Read, review, enjoy!**

"I don't know, Rhonda..." I say hesitantly.

"Oh, but Arnold, you just HAVE to come! You haven't missed a single one of my parties, why start now?" Rhonda pouts. I sigh. It's not like I'm against going, and it was true: I have been to all of Rhonda's parties, I just have a bad feeling about tonight.

"I don't know, Rhonda..." I repeat.

"Okay, that's fine, don't give an answer now, you just think about it." Rhonda says, clearly not taking no for an answer.

I sigh again. "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Perfect!" Rhonda exclaims happily before sneakily adding, "See you at my party tonight!"

I'm about to interject, but Rhonda just turns around and sashas away, calling for her friend Nadine over as she moves on to the next person. I turn to my locker and start putting in my combination: 3-10-17. My favorite numbers.

I see Helga walk to her locker, the one next to mine, and start on her lock. "'Morning Football Head." She says with a smirk.

"Good morning, Helga." I smile. I remember when she first called my Football Head. I hated it so much for years, but over time, I've actually grown accustomed to the nickname, so much so that if she were to stop calling me that it just wouldn't feel right. I actually like the name, now that I can tell that she doesn't just call me that because she's mean and hates me, at least. In fact, we've become pretty close friends over the past six years of middle school and high school.

"So, you going to princess's party tonight?" Helga asks me.

"I don't know." I say. "Are you?"

She looks at me. "You mean you're not going?" She asks in disbelief, which I'm not surprised about; I've never really been good at saying no to people.

"Are you?" I ask back.

"Well you know I'm never one to turn down free stuff." She says with a wink.

I turn back to face my locker, reaching in and grabbing a textbook to hide the slight blush appearing on my face. Even after seven years of liking her, her simple smile and wink still do the same thing to me.

"Seriously though, Football Head, why aren't you going to Rhonda's party?" She asks, genuinely curious.

"I don't know..." I start to explain. "I just have a sort of... bad feeling about tonight."

"A bad feeling?" She raises an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah."

"It's just a party, Arnoldo, nothing bad's going to happen," Helga says. "But if you're that paranoid, just don't go."

"I know, but Rhonda seemed like she really wanted me there."

"Then go." Helga says simply.

"But-"

"Look, Arnold," She says. "I can't tell you what to do here. Either you go or you don't go. You can go if you feel like it, and if you don't, that's cool too." She says with a finality that tells me that she's not going to end up telling me any different advice.

"Alright," I say. "I'll think about it."

Then Helga and I part ways to our different classes, the only thing I can think of the sense of dread eating away at me, telling me not to go to that party.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Why wouldn't you go?" Gerald asks me. It seems like this has been the only topic that's come up all day. I've lost track of how many times that I've heard that exact question with that exact tone of voice with that exact facial expression. I get it. I never say no to anybody. But is it really that unbelievable that I would turn down an offer to come to a party just one time?

"And," Gerald continues, trying to get his point across. "This isn't just a party; it's Rhonda's party. Everyone knows that Rhonda's parties are always the best ones all year."

"I told you," I say. "I'm just not feeling it tonight." I had already told my best friend of my dread.

"You're just paranoid." He says plainly.

"Maybe..." I say, not totally convinced.

"Arnold, do you really want to miss out on the party of the year?" Gerald gives me a knowing look.

"I guess you're probably right." I say, finally giving in to what everyone else has been telling me all day. _That decided it. I'm just paranoid. Nothing's going to happen. I'm going to go to that party, and I am going to have a great time, and NOTHING WILL HAPPEN. _And yet, I still feel like I'm trying to convince myself that.

"Yo. Arnold!" I snap out of my thoughts and see Gerald staring at me from across the lunch table.

"Wait-what?" I ask, having totally missed what he had said while I was zoned out.

"I _said, _'how are things with Helga going?'" He raises his eyebrows up and down for effect. I look down with a blush.

When I first realized that I like Helga, seven years ago, I hadn't told Gerald about it, thinking that it may just be a passing thing, but after a little while, I realized that I liked her more than that. Still, I had made an attempt to hide this from Gerald, knowing how he felt about Helga, I knew that he would freak out, but I couldn't keep it in; I've never been very good at hiding my emotions. So I told him, and he did freak out for a little while. I couldn't keep track of the amount of times he had said the words, "But she's HELGA G PATAKI." I still don't know which was worse: him saying that sentence over and over and over again, or that first week where he just straight up thought that I had lost it, looking at me like I was crazy every chance that he got. Of course over time he's learned to accept it.

Sometimes he still voices his opinion, still never having fully let go of her bullying years, but that was way back when we were kids. And she really has changed a lot since then; don't get me wrong, she can still be the harsh, mean Helga that we all know and love- she always makes sure to put everyone back in their place whenever they step out of line. And some of her attitude and her sarcastic comments never did go away. That's one of the things that I like about her.

I shake my head to clear it. There's no point in sitting her, fantasizing about something that will never happen. As much as I love Helga, I know that she wouldn't like me in that way. Over the years Helga and I have built up a good friendship, so I'm not even sure if I would want to risk that. Of course I know that I'm only saying that so I can sleep better at night. I like Helga more than I have ever liked anything. I think it's safe to say that I love her. I know that I am but a naive senior in high school; what do I know about love? Well not very much... To be honest, I haven't really dated many girls. I was with Lila for a couple of months back in seventh and eighth grade year, but really, there was nothing there. It was kind of funny, really: I had spent so long back in elementary school trying so hard to get Lila to like me, or even just to give me a shot, but when I finally got her, I realized that she really wasn't anything special.

And ever since I realized that I love Helga, all other girls just pale in comparison. Nobody ever came even remotely close to her. She is just so great, and she really is more than she seems. Sure, on the outside, everybody thinks that she is just the average sarcastic teenager, but I know that there's more to her than that. Whenever she told me about herself, I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper in love with her. She has no idea that all of these years of just being friends with her, I've wanted more.

I look up to Gerald and see his smug smirk, knowing that I was thinking about her.

Rather than going into my usual detailed rant about how perfect she is and how we have to just stay friends because something is better than nothing, "How are things with Pheobe going?" I retort.

"Touche, Arnold." Gerald says with a slight shake of his head, "Touche."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Alright, I'll see you at my party tonight!" Rhonda says happily, having gotten her way.

"Yeah, okay, see you later, Rhonda." I say before walking over to Helga. It had become a sort of tradition by now for me to walk her home.

We walk in comfortable silence. I can see her out of the corner of my eye, and notice how the sun is hitting her blonde hair just so that it gives off the impression that it is glowing. That she is glowing.

Even thought I try not to notice, Helga really has grown into a beautiful woman, her once flat body had been replaced by irresistible, sexy new curves. She had also grown taller, and even though I had only seen her legs briefly a couple of times, they had been a gorgeous model's length, her porcelain skin had looked so soft that it took all of my willpower not to reach over and feel it. Of course, she always hides her maturing body with a slightly too big pink sweatshirt and loose, baggy jeans, but it does nothing to change the constant chatter in the locker room over how she, along with Rhonda, Lila, and Nadine, had changed so much. I of course never took part of these conversations. In fact, I've stood up for them couple of times when they kept talking about her like she wasn't even human. I can't stand when they talk about her like she's some piece of meat; she's more than that! She has a personality, hopes, fears! She is more than just what she looked like.

But despite her new look, the guys would never try anything-not after what happened to Sid anyways.

Still, even I find it hard not to notice the way that the sun is hitting her just so, so that her curves are illuminated in all the right ways...

I look down, guilty and disgusted with myself. Even I look at her like that! Although is it really my fault? It's not my fault that she just happens to be the most gorgeous girl that ever lived.

Helga stops walking abruptly and I am ripped out of my thoughts. The way that the sun is glowing on her face is what makes up my mind: _tonight, I am going to tell her how I feel. No matter what, I am not going to back down from this._

"So I'll meet you at the party?" She asks me.

"Sure," I smile. "I'll meet you there." We say goodbye and I walk to the boarding house, mentally prepping myself for what I'm going to say tonight. Trying to ignore the dread that is still eating away at the pit of my stomach.

**So there was chapter one! Sorry the first chapter is always kinda boring, but don't worry, these next couple of chapters will be moving way faster. Also, his locker combination, 3-10-17 aren't just random numbers. I know that the answer is kind of obvious, but the first person who says what the three numbers are important to Arnold, I will make you into a character in this story. So yeah, guess that. Aaanyways, thank you so much for reading chapter one, and chapter two should be coming up sometime this week. Review this please! Thx-alexham19**


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